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Valenar
Valenar is a nation that broke away from the nation of Cyre during the Last War when the mercenary elves of the Valenar subrace revolted. Geography The northern areas of Valenar mainly consists of sprawling arid desert, providing a natural line of defence and isolation for the cities in the south. The southern most areas, on the other hand, consist of lush tropical jungles that border the sea. Society Valenar is a feudal kingdom that is mostly populated by the elven Valaes Tairn. The elves are warrior princes, but they spend little time at rest. They operate in small units called warbands, and those that aren’t patrolling the kingdom are abroad seeking adventure. Most of the civic administration is handled by half-elves. Some of these are the children of Valenar elves, but most are immigrants who’ve come from the Five Nations in search of opportunity. Below this are the natives. Once vassals of Cyre, now they’re vassals of Valenar. Some hated the Cyrans and welcome the elves. Others despise their new leaders and are plotting against them. But life hasn’t changed much for the commoners, and most don’t actually care who wears the crown. Refugees fleeing from Cyre during the Mourning attempted to turn to Valenar as a haven, but were slaughtered by a mixture of human and elven inhabitants of Valenar out of fear of overwhelming their claim to the region. History Pre-Galifar The land on the southeast coast of Khorvaire, featuring both a wide desert and a jungle peninsula, was first visited by the Aerenal elves circa 10,000 BYK. Though initially successful, the colony eventually became embroiled in a war with the hobgoblin Dhakaani Empire, and the elves voluntarily withdrew back to Aerenal. The humans of Valenar are believed to have descended from emigrants from the ancient Sarlonan nation of Khunan, which lay in what is now central Syrkarn. Under-Galifar The land became part of the kingdom of Cyre and remained uninhabited by the elves for millenia, until 914 YK and the outbreak of the Last War, in which a mercenary splinter of the Aerenal elves known as the Valaes Tairn found the opportunity they were looking for. An uncharacteristically fierce and warlike faction, the Valaes Tairn (sometimes called the Tairnadal elves) revel in battle, seeing it as both an art form and a way to honor their ancestors. The Last War In the midst of the Last War, an army of warrior elves seized this region from Cyre, invoking a claim to the land from long before humanity’s arrival on the continent. The elves of Valenar areutterly devoted to the arts of war. Their cavalry has no equal in Khorvaire, and they combine a talent for magic with stealth and swordplay. Cyre employed the Valenar as mercenaries and was entirely unprepared for betrayal in the year 956 YK, in which War Leader Shaeras Vadallia claimed the land now known as Valenar for himself and his mercenary people, and himself as high king of this new realm, citing the much earlier Aerenal habitation on that land and the blood that his people had shed in its defence in recent times as his justification. The Mourning As Cyre was destroyed by the mourning in the month of Olarune, year 1,098 YK, a massive army of warforges rose from the Mournlands and descended upon the neighbouring nations. The warforged army managed to destroy Valenar's cities, causing most of the populace to flee towards the north into Gatherhold, located in the Talenta Plains. Power Groups * Blood of the East * House Lyrandar * House Medani * Keepers of the Past * Siyal Marrain Notable Characters * High King Shaeras Vadallia